Uncategorized

What’s possible now

A car that gets 157mpg and will sell for around $13,000.

Not bad.

Nonprofits and industry

I commend everyone to Joel Makower's clear-eyed assessment of Worldwatch's otherwise great report on the greening of business, which reflects the "relatively myopic perspective that nonprofits typically have of business."

If I may summarize:

• Expecting an industry to do something that confers no business advantage in a sustained, systemic way is silly. (Luckily, there are plenty of sustainable moves they can make that do confer advantage.)
• Criticizing a sustainable move on the part of an industry because industry "only" did it out of self-interest is also silly, for the same reasons.

Meta-blogging

I try not to do this too much, but here are two quick self-referential notes:

• There have been a lot of really great discussions going on lately in comments (I refer you to the "recent comments" box to your right). Those of you who read blogs or newsgroups regularly will recognize that these discussions are atypically substantive and courteous. I hope and expect that as more people get involved in our community, we can keep them that way. Mainly what I'm trying to say is: Thanks, everybody.
• My interview with Lester Brown was not a James Frey-style fabrication on my part. It really did happen and I hope it will run soon, perhaps this coming week. I mention it because he and I directly addressed lots of subjects that keep coming up in conversations here, like our ability to predict or control social change, "picking winners" in the transportation game, and the merits of biofuels and nuclear power. Watch for it.

Security and oil

Toward the beginning of a dense and illuminating post on Iraqi oil, Salam Pax says this:

Security needs money,
Money comes from oil,
Oil needs foreign investment,
And foreign investment wants security.

Can you say Nigeria?

(via Jim Henley)

China’s energy situation

A great rundown of China's energy requirements, via the Department of Energy, via WattHead. Like everything about China these days, the more you pay attention, the more you realize what a truly historic fubar is headed down the tracks at us.

I’m bloggin’ it

Do you know that McDonald's has started a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) blog? Seriously. It's right here.

I just left a comment on it, though comments are moderated and it hasn't been posted yet. We'll see.

Why don't you go leave a comment? They seem honestly in search of feedback. Be respectful, please.

(via TriplePundit)

A guessing game!

I love contests.

Today's exciting game: find the theme in today's Daily Grist headlines.

First one to post a correct answer gets a virtual high-five!

The Daily Grist Headline Battle Royale: Match 1

Is it me or has it been pretty serious here in Gristmill as of late? This is Grist -- "gloom and doom with a sense of humor," you know? Plus, it is Friday. So, I've decided to launch a new weekly tradition here in Gristmill: "The Daily Grist Headline Battle Royale"!

Here is how it will work:

1. The Daily Grist Headline Battle Royale nominating committee (yours truly) will pick the top five Daily Grist headlines from the week based on humor, wit, and the presence of soy milk coming out of my nose.
2. I'll post the top five headlines for your consideration.
3. You vote. (Must be a registered Gristmillian.)
4. The following week I present the winner and the new batch of nominees.
5. And maybe -- just maybe -- at the end of the year we'll have a "Daily Grist Headline Deathmatch" where you choose the most punny headline of the year.

So here it goes -- the nominees are:

1. Utahward Bound: NRC approves nuke-waste dump on Utah Indian reservation
2. Mapled Crusaders: Community forests help revitalize New England towns
3. The Midas Crutch: EPA may replace ozone-depleting chemical with cancer-causing chemical
4. Finger-Lickin' Bad: How poultry producers are ravaging the rural South
5. One King to Bring Them All and in the Darkness Bind Them: An interview with Sir David King, U.K.'s top scientist and climate crusader*

* As it was a short week due to the holiday, I included this one from last week. And it is a LOTR reference -- I just had to! (My precious made me do it.)

Vote

Now it is time to vote (click "Link and Discuss" below)! Remember, you have to be registered and logged into Gristmill to cast your vote.

(And PS, once you register, you'll also be able to post comments and submit your own posts within the Poverty & the Environment discussion area.)

Update [2006-2-25 9:7:16 by Chris Schults]: Apparently you don't have to be registered or logged into Gristmill to vote. We encourage you to register anyway so you can enjoy all the benefits of membership.

Remember: this is supposed to be fun. Happy Friday!

Moth dearth, cat-on-cat violence, poached oxen, and other oddities

I photographed this moth in Costa Rica. It was about four inches across and looked like a pair of flying lips. A study has found that the number of moths in Britain has declined by about 30% in the last thirty years. That's a 10% decline per decade. Sixty-two species have already gone extinct on the island in the 20th century. Extrapolating into the future, you could expect the last moth to drop dead in about seventy years, assuming the decline remains linear.

A Florida Panther (radio collared of course) was recently tranquilized for eating, among other things, a house cat. The biologists seemed to know everything about this cougar -- how many cubs he has sired, his age. He even has a name and a number. I have to wonder how many times in its eleven-year life it has been shot with tranquilizer darts and radio collared. He must feel like a pin cushion. Rapid housing development continues to destroy habitat. There are only 80 Florida panthers left on the planet.

Media Shower: Listen up! And see the big picture.

This morning I received the Summer Rayne Oakes newsletter, which mentions that the eco-fashionista will be heading to Singapore to film "a new, entertaining environmentally-charged show." I've contacted SRO's PR firm for details.

Also highlighted in the newsletter is a video by New Century Thinking featuring Summer Rayne, who speaks on "fashion's hidden impact." So, who is New Century Thinking?

New Century Thinking is a media project in the early stages of development, dedicated to getting the varied stories of the movement into the mainstream. The project's principle focus is on the American college campus, which is rapidly expanding as a meeting ground for those who wish to realize the economic, social, and environmental opportunities upon which a brighter future depends.

Other videos feature Peter Senge, Sara Schley, Paul Freundlich and Billy Parish.